?Chapter 1018:


    Jack couldn’t permit Noah to venture there unapanied. If another ejection urred, someone needed to preserve his dignity—and possibly cushion hisnding.


    When they arrived at Myrtlewood Estate’s grand entryway, Noah’s features glowed with an unmistakable radiance, his confident smile illuminating his entire countenance.


    Before crossing the threshold, he announced his presence with theatrical volume. “Hey there, Sadie! I brought your favorite—Nirvana takeout!”


    He sauntered into the living room with the casual confidence of a proprietor, swinging the aromatic bags triumphantly.


    But the biting retort or icy stare he’d braced himself for never materialized.


    An unusual stillness permeated the expansive room, broken only by the hushed movements of household staff attending to their duties with somber efficiency.


    Breck, the normallyposed butler, prowled nervously across the center of the room, his worried gaze repeatedly drawn to the sweeping staircase.


    An unsettling current of wrongness electrified the atmosphere. Noah’s cheerful expression dissolved as he approached the agitated butler. “Breck, what’s happened here?”


    Breck’s features flooded with relief at Noah’s appearance as he hurried forward, anxiety threading through his usually steady voice.


    “Mr. Noel, providence itself must have sent you! Ms. Hudson retreated upstairs hours ago and hasn’t emerged since. Dinner hour has long passed, and she remains unresponsive to my knocking. Something dreadful whispers at my instincts…”


    Noah’s pulse faltered momentarily as jagged apprehension seized his chest.


    New updates live on gαlησνe?s


    Beneath Sadie’s formidable exterior lurked a fragility she zealously concealed—her health had always seemed to teeter precariously. With barely a conscious thought, he thrust the warm packages into Breck’s unprepared arms and bounded up the staircase two steps at a time, making a beeline for the master suite.


    He hammered his fist against the door, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.


    “Sadie! Open this door immediately!”


    The answering silence hung heavy as a shroud.


    Noah’s forehead creased with deepening concern, unease crystallizing in his mind.


    What was happening inside? Had disaster befallen her?


    He retreated slightly, positioned himself strategically, andunched a powerful kick precisely at the door’s weakest point near the lock. The explosive crack of splintering wood punctuated the silence as the substantial door flew inward on protesting hinges.


    Noah charged through the opening without a moment’s pause, adrenaline propelling him forward.


    Twilight shadows engulfed the bedroom, heavy curtains barricading any attempt at natural light.


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